Dera Sacha Sauda chief held guilty in rape case -Governance Now

Dera Sacha Sauda chief held guilty in rape case

A former follower had accused the dera chief of sexually assaulting her

GN Bureau | August 25, 2017

#Sirsa #sexually exploited #CBI #Gurmeet Ram Rahim #Dera Sacha Sauda #Haryana #Chandigarh

Self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan, who heads Dera Sacha Sauda, was convicted on Friday in a rape case by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Haryana’s Panchkula town.

Ram Rahim, who was expected to fly to Panchkula, instead drove down in a luxury SUV on roads that were lined by his supporters who waved to him. He left his sprawling dera in Sirsa in a motorcade of over a 100 vehicles.

It had been a tense few days in Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab as the date for announcing the verdict neared. Ram Rahim’s followers had begun to pour into Panchkula since the past couple of days and they were camping in different sectors. It was estimated that nearly 2 lakh supporters had arrived ahead of the judgement.

The authorities were concerned that violence may break out after the verdict due to which Panchkula had been turned into a virtual garrison town.

The police and the para military troopers patrolled the area. The army too was called in to ensure that law and order was maintained.

The railways on Friday cancelled over 200 Haryana-bound trains.

Ram Rahim has been accused of sexually exploiting two women at the Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa, which is about 250 km from Haryana capital Chandigarh.

The CBI had lodged the FIR against him in 2002. The action had been initiated after an anonymous letter addressed to then prime minister, purportedly written by a sadhvi, came to light. The sadhvi alleged that she and other sadhvis were raped. She had also sought an inquiry.

Ram Rahim steadfastly maintained that he is innocent.

The self-styled godman has a massive following and has also acted in two movies.

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